KLDSCOPE LAB // EXPERIMENT 001
FREE THE METAL
THEY TOLD US TO SEAL IT. WE CHOSE TO FREE IT.
For years, our hardware wore a protective finish. Clean. Consistent. Made to remain visually stable. For EXPERIMENT 001, we chose another route.JOEY is made in solid brass and left without clear lacquer. Air, humidity, touch, and time remain visible on the surface. Its tone may begin changing before it reaches you. Once worn, the buckle, keeper, tip, and loop will continue to age at different rates. The factory warned us about the same things we already feared: variation on arrival, fingerprints, more difficult quality control, and more complicated after-sales handling. They were not wrong. We understood the risk and chose it anyway, not because unlacquered brass is universally better, but because it lets the material and the person wearing it stay visible. We inspect and prepare each piece by hand before dispatch. We control the starting condition. We do not pretend to control what happens after.
WE SET THE STARTING POINT. THE REST IS YOURS.
[READ THE FIELD NOTES]
KLDSCOPE LAB // EXPERIMENT 001: FREE THE METAL
Before You Order — FAQ
Unlacquered brass begins reacting to air, humidity, and touch immediately. We inspect and prepare every piece before dispatch, but its tone may shift during storage or transit. Product photographs show a starting condition, not a permanently fixed colour.
No. It will gradually warm, darken, and become less uniform. Areas you touch frequently may remain brighter than recessed or protected areas.
No. They are normal characteristics of an unlacquered brass surface.
The buckle, keeper, tip, and loop are touched, rubbed, and exposed differently. They will therefore age at different rates and are not expected to remain visually identical.
It is verdigris, which may form where brass meets vegetable-tanned leather in the presence of humidity. Gently remove it with a soft, dry brush. Do not soak the belt.
Use the enclosed dry cloth for routine care. Do not apply compound metal polish directly to the assembled belt, as it may permanently mark the leather. Full instructions are available at klds.co/brass-care
You can refresh the surface, but compound polishing requires careful protection around the leather and shouldn't be treated as routine maintenance. Follow the full care guide before attempting it.
Choose our mainline JOEY. It offers a different promise: a more stable and consistent appearance. FREE THE METAL is for someone who wants the effects of time to remain visible.
Once the unlacquered solid brass hardware is assembled onto vegetable-tanned leather, the materials begin reacting to touch, humidity, time, and each other. A returned belt may already carry tonal change or early residue at the contact points, even if it has only been tried on. It can no longer be returned to its original untouched condition or resold as new.We therefore do not accept returns, refunds, or size exchanges for change of mind, incorrect sizing, or natural finish variation. This does not affect mandatory rights under applicable law, including rights relating to items that are faulty, damaged on arrival, or not as described.
Please check the Size Guide carefully before ordering. If you are unsure, contact us before placing the order. Because FREE THE METAL is final sale, we cannot offer a size exchange after the hardware has been assembled onto the leather, except where required by applicable law.
EXPERIMENT 001 is produced in small batches. We will continue only as long as we can prepare every piece to our standard. We do not use false last-chance language; when we plan another batch, we will say so.